Railway safety device



A. H. SIMIVIS.

RAILWAY SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED sEPT.27.1913.

1,195,282. Patenmd'Aug. 22,1916.

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RAILWAY SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED sE'PTIz?, I9I3.

l l 95,282 Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

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iNlliE AIVIOS HOFFMAN SIMMS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILVAY SAFETY DEVICE.

'Application filed September 27, 1913.

To all 107mm t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Aims HOFFMAN Stains, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Safety Devices, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to safety devices for railway trains and systems, and has for one of its principal objects the provision of means for automatically slowing down the train or stopping it in accordance with the display of signals of the block signaling system of any of the types ordinarily provided, which may be either mechanically or electri- 'ally connected with said signaling system.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safety device for railway trains which will cause a train to come to a full stop should a switch communicating` with the track upon which the train is moving be open or in position to derail the train, or should the parts of the block signaling system or a switch-operating mechanism be broken or disconnected. y

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety device for railway trains which may .be readily arranged to prevent the trains running down workmen repairing the track.

Still another object is to provide a safety device which will stop or slow down the train as may be required and which will register each operation of itself so that, should the engineer again bring the train to its normal ruiming speed without proper investigation, the blame for a.resulting accident may be properly fixed upon him.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a safety device for railway trains, the parts of which are so constructedand arranged that after the device is once set to stop the train the engineer or other trainman can not reset the device without bringing the train to a full stop. i

Additional obj eetsand advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof. l

On the drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective Specification of Letters Patent.

'27 of the valve 15. are so arranged that the curved portion of Patented Aue. 22, 1916.

serial No. 792,198.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the device Aconnected with a switch-operating mechanism.

Referring to the drawing, 11 designates a portion of the tender of a locomotive beneath which extends the airbrake pipe 12, which delivers the compressed air from the locomotive to the train system. The airbrake pipe 12 is tapped by a short length of pipe 13 beneath the tender and to this pipe is connected a pipe 14 extending transversely of and beneath the tender. vThe valves 15 vand 16, whose uses will be later defined, communicate with the pipe 14, the one 15 through the connecting pipes 17 and 18 and the other 16 through the pipes 19 and 1S. The valves 15 and 1G communicate also with the outside air and when they are open the compressed air of the train is released. These valves are mounted upon a shelf 21 rigidly secured upon the side frame 22 of the forward truck on the right hand side of the tender. Beneath the shelf 21 are provided a pair of downwardlv depending ears 28 in the lower ends of which are pivoted theV two ends of a` curved U-shaped shoe 24,

`which extends rearwardly. The rear end of this shoe 1s pivotally connected at its eenter to one end of a link 25, the other end of which engages a bell-crank QG, which is fulcrumed upon the outer end of the valve stem The parts just described the shoe is normally disposed a substantial 'distance beneath the lower ends of the depending ears 23 and the valve 15'is normally in closed position. If the shoe is moved vertically about its pivotal connection with the ears 23 the bell-crank is turned by means of the link 25 and the valve 15 is opened.

A leaf 28 is pivotally mounted upon a suitable support 29 fastened upon the ends of a pair of ties 31, the pivotal axis of the leaf 28 extending transversely of the track so that the leaf moves in a plane parallel to the line of travel of the train. This leaf is so arranged that it will engage the shoe 24 when the shoe is in its lower normal position and the leaf is in its highest elevated position.

The shelf 21 is also provided with a rearwardly extending ear 32 through which a rod 33 forming the valve stem of the valve 16 is rotatably mounted. rod 33 is provided with an arm 34 which eX- tends outwardly beneath the shoe 24 in position to engage the leaf 28. As the arm 34 is beneath the shoe 24 it will be readily apparent that it will engage the leaf 28 when the leaf is elevated a much less amount than is necessary for its engagement with the shoe 24. The valve 16 is constructed to provide a relatively restricted opening between the airbrake system of the train and the outside air, so that when the arm 34 is engaged by the leaf and this valve opened the speed of the train is merely reduced by a gradual setting of the brakes. In practice a leaf 28 for each arm of each semaphore is mounted upon the ties at an appropriate point, as shown diagrammatically in Figs. 3 and 4. These figures each disclose a portion of a single track railway and a single semaphore, although it will be apparent that any number of semaphores may be provided and any number of tracks may form a part of the system.

Considering Fig. 3, the arm 35 of the semaphore 36, which controls the travel of trains moving from the left to the right, viewing the figure, is connected with an ear 3T (Fig. 1) provided upon the leaf 28 located at a by means of the links 38 and bell-cranks of the type ordinarily employed to connect the arms of the semaphore with the switch tower. It will be noted from this figure that, when this arm moves from normal depending position up into the danger or stop position shown, the rod 38 connected directly with the leaf 28 will move toward the right, lifting the leaf into the position shown in Fig. 1, so that it will engage both the shoe 24 and the arm 34 to open both valves 15 and 16 and stop the train. Trains traveling from right to left, viewing the figure, are similarly stopped, when the arm 41 of the semaphore moves into the position shown, by the elevation of the leaf 28 located at b through the i links 42 and bell-cranks 43. Should either neath the shoe 24 and merely engages the arm The lower end of the 34 which causes the actuation of thevalve 16, thereby merely slowing down the train by a relatively gentle application of the brakes.

Fig. 4 shows the two leaves 28 located at c and Z connected with a semaphore 44 through two separate electric circuits 45 and 46, the circuit 45 serving to control the leaf located at l through a magnet 47 having a movable armature 48 connected to the ear 37 on the leaf by a rod 49 and the circuit 46 is similarly connected to a magnet 50 having a movable armature 51 connected to the leaf 28 located at c.

In Fig. 5 an arrangement of leaves 28 and suitable mechanisms is shown to prevent damage to the train in passing a switch. Three separate leaves are provided located respectively at e, f and g, all of these leaves being connected with the switch-throwing mechanism 52 by a system of links and bell cranks 52. The leaf 28 located at e is positioned to prevent a through train being diverted into the siding 53 where a collision with idle cars or a standing train might result. The leaf 28 located at f causes the train moving in the other direction to stop before it hits the switch points `54 and 54 of the switch and a derailment of the train results. The leaf 28 located at g prevents a train approaching the main track from over-running the switch when the switch is closed and this leaf is therefore connected with the switch-operating mechanism to be elevated when the leaves 28 located at e and f are in lowered inoperative position. Thus, all of these leaves operate in harmony with each other and with the switch-operating mechanism, rendering it impossible for a train to be wrecked at the switch whether the switch be open or closed.

In order that the train may not be stopped too suddenly when a leaf 28 engages the shoe 24 I provide a valve 55 in the pipe 17.

which communicates with the valve 15. This valve should be adjusted before the train starts upon its run and is preferably set to restrict the air passage through the pipe 17 sufliciently to prevent too sudden stopping of the train from a given speed, the opening in the valve being varied in accordance with the maximum speed at which the train is intended to travel. In order that each engineer may not have to guess at the proper opening and to minimize chances of danger I prefer to provide an indicating quadrant 56 graduated in number of maximum miles per hour so that the engineer has only to set the valve handle at 60, for example, if this be the maximum speed at which the train is to travel.

In order that the train may againA be driven at its normal speed after having run slowly in response to the caution signal I provide means for again closing the valve 16 from the tender. The rod 33 is extended.

through the valve and is connected with a rock-bar 57 by a universal joint 59. The rock-bar 57, journaled on the outside of the tender at- 58, is provided at its upper end with a handle 61 which the engineer oriireman may turn while standing in the tender. Intermediate the length of the rock-bar is provided an offset portion 62, which is connected by a rod 63 with an indicator 641. r1`he indicator 64 registers each rocking of the bar 61 and in this manner shows each opening and closing of the valve 16. Should a train be wrecked by reason of the engineer increasing the speed of the train after its speed has been reduced by my safety device, before ruiming the prescribed distance at the reduced speed, the responsibility of the accident may be readily fixed upon him as the indicator will show that the speed of the train was reduced in response to the setting of the leaf by the semaphore. A similar indicator 65 is connected with the valve 15, which stops the train, by a rod 66, short rock-bar 67, universal joint 68, rocking arm 69 and bellcrank 26, the end of the arm 69 being inserted in a slot in the end of the free arm of the bell-crank. In order to compel the train to come to a full stop after the actuation of the valve 15, no handle is provided upon the rock-bar 67 and the parts are so arranged that the valve 15 cannot be closed after having been once opened unt-il the train has stopped and the engineer descended from the cab and reset the valve from the ground.

A shelf 71, similar in all respects to the shelf 21, is mounted upon the outer side of the equalizer 72, located at the other oi left hand side of the tender. Upon this shelf a single valve 73, similarI to the valve 15, is

l positioned and this valve is connected with the pipe 17 which extends through both equalizer-s. Ihen it is desired to run the engine and tender backward appreciable distances the shoe 2l may be disconnected from the shelf 21 and connected with the shelf 71 and valve 73, so that it will engage the leaves 28 provided upon the other side of the track to control the movement of trains traveling in the opposite direction from that shown in the figure.

In order that the safety device may stop the trains if a leaf 28 becomes disconnected from its switch mechanism or from its semaphore, or if the parts of either the switch mechanism or the semaphore become broken and no longer capable of positively elevating a leaf 28, I connect each of the leaves 28 to its support 29`by a spring hinge 75 which retains the leaf in elevated position. Vhen the leaf is connected, therefore, with either the switch mechanism or with a semaphore it is held down against the force of the spring in the hinge while the track is clear, The, force of the spring in thishinge should not be of sufficient strength to lift the arm of the semaphore from normal position against the force of gravity and the friction of the connection between the leaf and the semaphore.

When the leaves are connected with the block signaling system through the electrical circuits described the circuit should be complete and the armature of the magnet aulled inwardlf of the magnet when the b arms of the semaphore show the block or section to be clear of trains. Then it is desired to stop the train this circuit will be broken then by movement of the arms and the leaf will be raised by the spring. Should the circuit be broken so that the semaphore is no longer capable of actuating the leaves the spring will lift the leaf into position to stop the train.

IVrecking crews and track-repairing crews may be provided with a number of leaves 28 mounted upon supports 29 which may be temporarily fastened to the outer ends of the rails to cause trains running upon the track being repaired to heed the signal provided to protect the workmen. This signal is usually a flag placed at an appropriate distance from the working men alongside the track. At best this iag is inconspicuous and easily disregarded by an engineer. The support 29 carrying a leaf 28 may, of course, be positioned at any point desired by merely spiking it to the ties. but it is thought that it had best be located between the workmen and the flag at an appreciable distance from the flag. If the flag causes the train to slow down, a workman at the leaf may depress it against the force of the spring hinge by placing his foot upon it and permit the train to pass uninfluenced by the safety device. Should the train, however, not slow up the device may be left in elevated position and the train brought to a stop before it has run over any of the workmen.

The embodiment of my invention de4 scribed consists of simple parts, which may be cheaply manufactured and easily assenr bled, and it will be apparent that when the parts are arranged as hereinbefore described the leaves 28 will work in harmony with the block signaling system and with a switch-operating mechanism.

It will be apparent that numerous changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts, as for instance the valve 16 may be positioned to permit a single rod to form the stem of the valve and the rock bar, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

l. A safety device for railway trains comprising a member positioned adjacent the track and adapted to assume a plurality of operative positions, means carried by the train and positioned to engage said member when the latter is in one position to stop the train, and means carried by the train to engage said member when the latter is in a second position to reduce the speed of the train, said last mentioned means only being positioned to permit readjustment thereof after it has engaged said member without requiring the trainmen to leave the train.

2. A safety device for railway trains comprising a pair of valves connected with the air-brake system of the train, and a member disposed adjacent the track and adapted to be disposed in position to open one or both of said valves, the opening of one of said valves slowing the train and the opening of the other stopping it.

3. A safety device for railway trains, comprising a member positioned adjacent the track and normally biased to operative position, manually operable means whereby said member may be retained in inoperative position and allowed to assume a plurality of operative positions, means carried by the train for reducing the speed thereof, separate controlling means therefor, and means adapted to coperate with said member when in operative position to selectively actuate said controlling means, whereby the amount of speed reduction depends on the operative position assumed by said member.

4;. A safety device for iailway trains, comprising a member positioned adjacent the track and normally biased to operative position, means connected to a signaling system, whereby said member may be retained in inoperative position when the signal is clear and allowed to assume a plurality of operative positions corresponding to the caution and danger positions of said signal, means carried by the train for reducing the speed thereof, separatecontrolling means therefor, and means adapted to coperate with said member when in operative position to selectively actuate said controlling caution signal, means carried by the train i to engage said member when the latter is in one position to stop the train, means carried by the train to engage said member when the latter is in the second position, to reduce the speed of the train, and means for permanently indicating the number and nature of the operations of the train stop and speed-reducing means.

6. A safety device for railway trains, comprising a member positioned adjacent the tracks and adapted to be moved to operative position when it is desired to stop the train, an extension of the air-brake system of said train, a pair of valves in said extension, means operable by said member when the latter is in operative position to open one or both of said valves, and manually operable means in said extension for regulating the rate of release of said air Vwhen one or both of said valves is opened.

7. A safety device for railway trains, comprising a member disposed adjacent the track connected with a signaling system and adapted to be disposed into operative positions, yielding means for moving said member to operative position, a rigid connection between said signaling system and said member for depressing said member against said yielding means when the track is clear, and a plurality of means carried by the train and selectively actuated by said member to automatically control the speed of the train in accordance with the position of said member.

AMOS HOFFMAN SIMMS.

Copies o1 this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Gommssoner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

